


"in the arms of another"

by seunqmins



Series: in this vast universe, you are all i need [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Best Man Hwang Hyunjin, Best friend speech, Implied Amnesia, M/M, Mentioned Yang Jeongin | I.N, Unhappy Ending, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:55:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27777979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seunqmins/pseuds/seunqmins
Summary: because life is not always made of happy endings
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin & Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Kim Seungmin & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Series: in this vast universe, you are all i need [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032129
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41





	"in the arms of another"

**Author's Note:**

> so uhh i apologize, hwang hyunjin bb.  
> best boy yang jeongin!

"Stop."

Hyunjin stops in his track, hands frozen in the air as he's putting on his coat. It's been colder these days. It's been coldest today, most especially. His hands tremble as he turns around, only to be met by his best friend Yang Jeongin with a frown marring his face.

He shrugs nonchalantly as his peripheral view catches the young couple laughing at something that Chan hyung has been saying for the last three minutes. Because aside from him, Chan hyung is the other best man. He fights the urge to roll his eyes because whatever the older is saying, he knows it’s just something lame recall of memories about the couple.

.

"Stop, what?"

"Stop running away." Jeongin tells him.

Good thing that they are quite hidden by the walls in the hotel lobby or his best friend would have been worried how Hyunjin’s knees are suddenly feeling all weak and jelly. And how, in fact, Hyunjin wants to kneel on the floor breaking down.

"He's still going to remember." The younger still prods at him.

Hyunjin tries to smile but even moving the corner of his lips hurt a lot. He wraps his arms around the younger’s shoulders. "It's been a year, Yennie, give it a rest."

"I won't give it a rest, hyung. I'm sure he's going to remember." Jeongin, Hyunjin has known all his life, is the most stubborn human being in the world. Tied with Kim Seungmin.

"More than anyone else, I know him better --- if not the best. Trust me when I say he's not going to remember anymore."

"But Hyunjin hyung---" Jeongin sniffs and buries his head on his chest.

Hyunjin looks up to try to keep himself composed. This is his special day. It's Seungmin’s special day. He's not going to ruin it for his best friend, more than anything else, feelings be damned.

The younger's voice is muffled. "But you should be the one he's marrying. You should be the one up there, hyung. I should be the one giving my best friend speech there for you and Seungmin hyung."

"I know."

"Then do something about it."

Hyunjin turns to the couple who are all too busy smiling and laughing like they are not breaking Hyunjin’s heart. He turns to the younger by holding his face with his hands and god knows, he's tried to smile. "I won't and you know it."

"Why not?"

He glances back at Seungmin and Minho hyung who are smiling, eyes crinkling with happiness as Minho intertwines their fingers like it wasn't Hyunjin intertwining his fingers with Seungmin a year ago.

Hwang Hyunjin cannot be bitter --- doesn't want to be bitter. Not when it's neither Seungmin nor Minho’s fault why his relationship with the former suddenly puts to a full stop. It's neither's fault that Seungmin cannot remember him anymore. It's neither's fault that they found solace in each other.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin --- Hyunjin who had been Seungmin’s former fiancé is left to darkness with nothing but an empty promise and a golden ring that weighs too heavily at the back of his pants for the moment.

Kim Seungmin, who was, still is, and will always be his first friend, best friend, his lover, his fiancé, looks ethereal in his golden brown hair and in clean cut white tux. He looks the happiest and the brightest.

"See him up there, Yennie?" He tells the younger. "I know what happiness looks like because that's how I look when I see Seungmin. And I could tell that's happiness."

"But hyung---"

"Yennie, there shouldn't be any but's and if's when it comes to happiness."

The younger pouts and Hyunjin can't help but to ruffle his hair affectionately.

"Then stay. Seungmin hyung is going to ask where you'd be."

Hyunjin falters for a moment and heaves a sigh. "I can't. There isn't point for me to stay here anymore. I'll see you, Yennie."

He turns around; ready to leave and to forget when a question pops once more. "How did you do it, hyung? Pretend like it's not a big deal, pretended to go up there like you have never felt anything more than friendship when all your life and Seungmin hyung's life, it's special. What you and he have had? It's unique. It's you and him."

Hyunjin dares another look and he sees Seungmin stealing a kiss from Minho who looks much surprised.

"That's how I do it. When he's happiest, I'm happiest, too, Yennie."

"It's not fair. Why are you giving up this easily? Seungmin hyung is going to remember and I refuse to give up on this."

"Yen," Hyunjin says as he embraces his younger best friend. Hyunjin, as much as he wants to, wants to break down but still tries to hold himself together. "Nothing in this is ever fair. It was the hardest, you know, to stand up there as his best friend giving out a speech that should have been in my wedding with him." He chuckles painfully, all cracks and hollows.

"Hyung, you don't deserve this. That should have been you and no one else."

"I know, Yen, but he doesn't."

"Then---"

Hyunjin unwraps himself from the younger, putting him an arm away. "This is real life. It's not a movie where suddenly with another hit on his head, he's going to remember me again. This is the real life and not a movie, not a fairy tale. At times, you don't get what you want. For not everything is a fairy tale. Not everyone has a happy ending. And we just live through it. Because we love and we want them to be happy. I'll be happy again. I'll be okay again. As long as he is."

That's what real life is about.

People come and go.

People remember and forget. Sometimes, they never remember again.

***

"Hello, everyone. I'm Hyunjin." There's a sudden whistle coming from Felix and a loud clap seal from Jisung and even though they're trying to just calm his nerves, it doesn't really work that way.

He continues. "And I'm unfortunately tasked to give the best man speech by Seungmin. I didn't want to, for obvious reason that, what good should I say about this boy with red cheeks and a snot on his nose that I met on a winter day with awful bright orange sweater, green pants and red beanie?" He can perfectly remember that boy standing outside the school like he's an embodiment of a traffic light.

"Well, except you know, I'm no longer his best man. That title is rightfully to Minho hyung now. For he is literally the best man, you know? I could call myself Seungmin’s best friend but come to think of it, I think it would rightfully belong to Minho hyung again.

But what wouldn't belong to Minho hyung are the memories I have shared with Seungmin. That Seungmin with snot on his nose and red cheeks when he was five years old. That Seungmin peed on his pants because he was so scared and sure that his Dad would get mad at him for getting a 98 when he was ten. That Seungmin, out of breath, knocking on my door with his hair askew in his awful neon pink sweatshirt with the realization that he likes someone" _Me_ , Hyunjin wants to clear but dismisses the

thought as fast as he can and continues, "with same gender as him when he was fifteen. That Seungmin at twenty-two who cried himself in my arms when he told me, Hyunjin-ah, this is the happiest I have ever been and I'm so glad I have you with me.'" For it was the time Hyunjin had his one knee bended in front of Seungmin on the night of the elder's birthday, asking for his hand for marriage. Seungmin, nose and eyes red and runny, for an unexpected event.

"And Seungmin at twenty-seven who opened his eyes after a life-threatening accident, eyes still mesmerizing as they could ever be. We sat together, side by side, moaning and groaning and dreaming and wishing of happiness and now, Seungmin has it. With you, Minho hyung.

I'm happy and I feel at ease that he's found the best man in the bubbly and a little bit tsundere Minho hyung and I wish you abundance of love and happiness." There's laughter from everyone and Hyunjin finally feels at ease as he meets his best friend's eyes.

"Because you deserve it." He says with conviction, face finally breaking with a smile as Seungmin gives him his best and prettiest smile back and Hyunjin thinks _it's an honor for you to break my heart_ because goddamn if someone as beautiful and ethereal as Seungmin would break his heart, he'd break it into millions and millions of pieces again and again and again.

And it's okay. All too willingly. For him only for him.

"You deserve it." He reiterates because Kim Seungmin does deserve it. Even without Hwang Hyunjin by his side.

Because life is not always made of happy endings. Sometimes, life is about acceptance and letting go. Sometimes, life is about being happy seeing the one you love be happy. Even with the arms of someone else.

[When Jeongin finally lets Hyunjin leave the premises, the latter misses a glance that Kim Seungmin sends him off. When Hyunjin finally lets go, he misses to hear a crack in the younger’s heart.]


End file.
